Disney films tend to be full of energy and fun, this film was no exception. This film was very interesting for a number of reasons, however, there were two reasons that really stood out to me. The first was the idea of death. While death played a large part in this film, it differed from many other Disney films. Often times Disney films begin with the loss of someone that directly impacts the rest of the film. Typically we see a child lose someone that is close to them and that inspires them to do something or, in some way, causes a chain reaction for the main character. This film was almost the opposite in terms of a child losing a loved one. At the beginning of the film (with the exception of Ernesto de la Cruz dying by a bell at the start of the film) we see a family lose a child rather than a child losing anyone, and while he is not really dead, Anthony Gonzalez’s Miguel joining the dead was what propelled the story forward. The other thing that stood out to me was the idea of music playing a significant role in the film. This film, unlike a lot of Disney films revolves almost entirely around music; however, compared to many Disney films it doesn’t rely on musical numbers to carry the story (while it does help the story along, the story itself is sufficient without the musical numbers, whereas films like “The Lion King” rely heavily on these performances to make the film as good as it is). I thought this film’s approach to music was refreshing; as I typically do not care for musicals, I thought the direction that Lee Unkrich and the writing crew took this film was new and interesting. Something worth noting is that Anthony Gonzalez has a phenomenal voice, especially for being so young. This film, while not the best Disney film I’ve ever seen (although it is fantastic) has one of the best stories I’ve ever seen in a film. Full of emotion and fantastic plot twists, this film was invigorating. I found each of the characters, with the exception of Alanna Ubach’s Mamá Imelda, to be very enjoyable. Ubach’s character wasn’t horrible, but there were moments when I seriously struggled to appreciate her and her reasons for doing things. This film presents its audience with a number of important facts, one of the biggest being how important family is. Along with all of the positives I’ve already mentioned, the animation in this film--particularly the attention to detail in things such as Mamá Coco’s face--were extraordinarily accurate. This film was surprisingly fantastic and I truly enjoyed it. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2380307/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
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